TotalEnergies has just opened new 300 kW terminals in Île-de-France and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Thus, the firm passes in front of the Tesla Superchargers, but still remains far from the most efficient alternatives in Europe.
Recharge your electric car is one of the most discussed topics and one of the main obstacles to the purchase of an electric vehicle. Both builders and terminal operators are actively working on the development of innovative solutions. They have no choice, sales of electric cars are accelerating in France and Europe, with an increasingly strong demand for charging. If the car with 1,000 km of autonomy will soon be a reality in Europe, this is not yet the case and the network of terminals must develop rapidly.
A rising power
If we are still very far from the objective announced by Emmanuel Macron in 2020, that of reaching 100,000 public charging points by the end of 2021 in France, things have nevertheless progressed well. According to a report from the Avere, 77,318 terminals were in service in the territory as of October 31. Even if our country is not necessarily a very good student, many operators are investing in the development of their network.
This is particularly the case for TotalEnergies, which has its network of charging stations for electric cars. In June 2021, the oil company inaugurated its first station located in La Défense, in the Paris region, composed of several 150 kW terminals.
Opening of a Total station on the A25, Saint-Eloi area, in the Dunkirk –> Lille direction.
2x 300kW CCS and 2x 50kW tri-standard.As usual, find the link to my map: https://t.co/okT04vr8jF pic.twitter.com/sjv4L3w2Zb
— Denis SCHOELENS (@DSchoelens) December 20, 2022
A year later, the tricolor firm has grown. If no official communication has been made, the Internet user Denis Schoelens, a specialist in charging stations, reports on Twitter that TotalEnergies has installed a new station on the A25 motorway at the Saint-Éloi area, in the Dunkirk – Lille direction. This is then equipped with two 50 kW terminals, but above all with two CCS terminals delivering a power of 300 kW.
Very good news for owners of electric cars, especially since this station is not the only one. A few weeks earlier, it was the one located in La Défense which was also equipped with similar charging points, this time with seven locations up to 300 kW as revealed company website. This is also the case of the Bresse Chicken arealocated in Dommartin-les-Cuiseaux, in Saône-et-Loire, which has no less than eight terminals of this power.
300, 350 and even 400 kW
With a power of 300 kW, the new terminals then compete head-on with those already installed by Allego, in particular in the car parks of Carrefour supermarkets, as well as those offered by Electra. Enough to thrill Tesla, whose Superchargers only peak at 250 kW for the moment. However, this should soon change, as the brand prepares a new generation called V4 and offering up to 350 kW. For its part, Ionity has already been delivering this power for a long time.
Like those of its rival, founded by a consortium of several manufacturers including Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW or Kia and Ford, TotalEnergies terminals opt for 800 volt technology. This means that cars also using this architecture, such as the Kia EV6 or the Porsche Taycan, will be able to take advantage of the 300 kW delivered by these charging points. This will not be the case for equipped cars operating at 400 volts like most current models on the market.
Cars compatible with 800 volts and 300 kW will be able to take advantage of all the advantages of these terminals and spend less time at the terminal. Today, very few operators offer this system, this is nevertheless the case of Kallista Energy which offers terminals up to 360 kW. Power identical to that installed by Lidl in some of its stores, supplied by ABB.
The Dutch company Fastned also offers 800 volt terminals, currently delivering power up to 300 kW. This is only the beginning, since Fastned has signed a partnership with EVBox, in order to begin the installation of sockets up to 400 kW. The first was installed in the Netherlands, on the A8 motorway. Thus, the operator competes with Circontrol, the first to offer such a powerful terminal in Europe. Nevertheless, companies on the Old Continent are having to face stiff competition from China, while Nio is working on the development of a 500 kW terminal.
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